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Myers goes three strong in second spring start

Right-hander allows one run in three frames, Tribe can't overcome early deficit

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By Jordan Bastian

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Mariners displayed some power on Wednesday afternoon, both on the mound and at the plate.

Pitching prospects Danny Hultzen and Taijuan Walker cruised through a combined four shutout innings and outfielder Carlos Peguero launched a pair of home runs, propelling Seattle to a 5-1 Cactus League victory over the Indians at Goodyear Ballpark.

Hultzen -- a first-round pick by the Mariners in last June's First-Year Player Draft -- started against the Tribe and piled up four strikeouts with two walks and one hit in two innings of work. Walker, who was Seattle's first-round pick in the 2010 Draft, followed that performance by striking out two and giving up no hits in his two frames.

Indians starter Brett Myers, who signed a one-year contract with the team over the winter, allowed one run on two hits across three innings in his second outing of the spring. Peguero provided the lone breakthrough against Myers by drilling a 3-1 offering over the wall in left field for a one-out solo home run in the third inning.

"I thought he was good," Indians manager Terry Francona said of Myers. "I thought the last inning, he elevated a little bit, which you're going to see in Spring Training. But I thought for the most part, he was down; he was around the strike zone. He was good."

Peguero -- a candidate for a backup outfield role with Seattle -- added a second blast in the fourth.

Facing Indians rotation hopeful Corey Kluber, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Peguero sent a 1-2 pitch out to right field for his second shot of Spring Training. His two home runs upped the Mariners' Cactus League-leading total to 12 homers this spring.

Kluber, who is competing for the fifth spot in the Cleveland rotation, surrendered three runs on five hits with a pair of strikeouts in two innings.

"In his first inning, he was up a little bit," Francona said of Kluber. "Maybe he was trying to do too much. In the second inning, he settled down and was using his nice little sink and everything, and it was much more fluid."

Mariners first baseman Kendrys Morales (acquired from the Angels in an offseason trade) delivered his first hits as a member of Seattle. After opening the preseason slate with an 0-for-5 showing, Morales came through with a leadoff single in the second inning and another base hit in the fourth. Also in the fourth inning, Michael Saunders contributed a run-scoring single for the Mariners.

In the top of the eighth inning, there was a five-minute delay due to a false fire alarm at Goodyear Ballpark.

Up next for Indians: Right-hander Zach McAllister, who is the leading candidate for the fourth spot in the Tribe's rotation, is slated to make his second start of the spring when the Indians take on the Rangers at 3:05 p.m. ET on Thursday in Surprise, Ariz. Rotation hopefuls Daisuke Matsuzaka and Trevor Bauer are also scheduled to pitch. Setup man Vinnie Pestano, who is gearing up for a stint with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, is down for one inning of work.